Mysterious Youth Unmasked
by zfj
Summary: Standing outside waiting for Goku's return from space, Gohan offers an absurd idea of where the boy who defeated Frieza came from ultimately causing chaos for young Trunks. ONE-SHOT.


**Description** : Standing outside waiting for Goku's return from space, Gohan offers an absurd idea of where the boy who defeated Frieza came from ultimately causing chaos for young Trunks.

 **A/N** : Umm, this came to me and I had to write it down. Not too plausible but a kind of fun little story. I'm trying to practice my Vegeta, so bare with me.

Mysterious Youth Unmasked

"Well, I'm calling him a liar, not a weakling," Vegeta said sternly after Gohan had just proposed that the lavender haired boy was a Saiyan. Vegeta thought it was a preposterous idea as there has never been a Saiyan with such an absurd hair color. On top of that, a super Saiyan appearing from thin air made no sense. Vegeta surmised that the boy's transformation must appear to be a super Saiyan, however, it must be a transformation from another race. He had to believe that.

"But Vegeta, didn't you see it?" Gohan asked staring at Vegeta surprised.

 _No you idiot, I saw it,_ Vegeta said in his mind. Vegeta didn't know what to think because he was absolutely certain that there were no other Saiyans in the universe. He had made sure of that.

Trunks stood surprised at his father's rowdy remarks. His mother from the future warned him about his father's personality but it was still a surprise for him. Gohan turned his attention back on Trunks with a questionable look. Trunks leaned back a little not wanting the attention.

Trunks had wished that he didn't have to meet all of Goku's friends but somehow Frieza appeared before Goku got back. This was a surprise by Trunks also. He was certain that his mother told him that Goku came back in time to save the day.

"Hey hotshot? How come you can't tell us who you are?" Bulma asked.

Trunks looked toward her young mother. His mother from the future warned him that if she was to run into his young mother, she would be very interested him. Bulma stared at him peculiarly.

"Hey! You have our Capsule Corporation logo on your jacket! I have never seen such a jacket before!" Bulma observed as Trunks backed up slightly.

 _How can I be so stupid?_ Trunks thought as he looked at his sleeve where it indeed had the logo plastered on it. Trunks became slightly more nervous at this silly mistake. He realized he should have taken his jacket off so nobody would recognize the corporation. He would have to come up with an explanation quickly if he were to survive meeting Goku's friends unscathed.

"Umm" was all Trunks could muster.

Trunks didn't know what to say, as he was completely unprepared for this. He looked in a different direction but unfortunately, he saw Piccolo glaring at him as if he were an enemy. He remembered his master talking about Piccolo. The glare Piccolo was giving stained his soul.

"Aren't you going to answer?" Bulma asked once more.

Trunks really wanted to just turn super Saiyan and blast off flying far from this situation he was in.

"Umm, yeah! I just like what they do and umm I got a jacket to show that off," Trunks stammered out. He realized that was a pathetic excuse but at least it bought him some time. Somehow Trunks had to get through the next hour until Goku arrived easing the pressure from his friends.

"What? Really?" Bulma said disbelievingly. "I have never seen that jacket but it looks like a jacket I might see from some of the employees at Capsule Corp."

Trunks gulped not sure what to do as all eyes were on him.

"Do you work for my dad or something?" Bulma asked.

Vegeta could not believe what he was hearing from the earth woman. He believed what Bulma was saying was ludicrous. Vegeta rubbed his eyes wondering if this was some bizarre dream he was having. This day did not make any sense to him whatsoever.

Piccolo in the other hand was attempting to understand where the young boy came from. Just like Vegeta, none of this made sense to him. The rest also did not understand what had just happened. This boy somehow defeated Frieza and his father almost effortlessly. Everybody had the same question; who was he? Where did he come from?

"Ummm, no, just a fan," Trunks responded nervously.

"You are so strong!" Gohan chirped as he remembered what had just happened.

"Umm, I try," Trunks mustered out.

Piccolo stepped forward to the boy. "You try?" Piccolo asked. "You just defeated Frieza and his father as if it were nothing. We struggled to even do any damage against him and yet you come here out of nowhere and defeat him easily."

"Umm, yeah, about that," Trunks stammered. _Crap, crap, crap!_ Was all Trunks could think.

"Yeah, what about that? Where did you come from?" Piccolo asked in a stern voice.

"Umm, I- I can't really say," stuttered Trunks.

"If you are a Saiyan, does that mean your parents were Saiyans also?" Gohan asked which seemed like a very obvious question.

"You stupid brat!" Vegeta yelled disrespect. "Don't you forget, your sorry excuse for a father, you, and myself are the only Saiyans left! There is no way he can have Saiyan blood!"

Trunks stepped back from his father's sudden rage. He contemplated two options. Option A: Fly away and wait for Goku to return which would be helpful because he wouldn't have to deal with this situation. However, they would likely try to track him down. Option B: Wait here to complete the longest hour of his life and hope that nobody finds out who he was or where he came from.

Trunks gulped as he contemplated both options. He felt like he had enough control of the situation to warrant staying put however, one wrong move on his part could be disastrous. He glanced at his father who had a look of rage plastered on his face. Trunks' mother warned him about his father's obsession of the Saiyan race and also that he was the prince of all Saiyans. He would have to make extra careful not to accidently reveal his secrets to Vegeta else he might not be born.

Gohan tilted his head toward Trunks as he was trying to figure out where he came from. Trunks glanced at his mentor in the past but quickly looked the other way. No matter who Trunks looked at, everybody had a questionable look on their face as if they were trying to determined who he was. This made him nervous.

"You kind of look familiar," Gohan blurted out as he stared at Trunks.

Trunks decided to take this opportunity to remain silent and just try to wait it out.

"What do you mean?" Bulma asked staring at Gohan.

"Umm, I don't know why, but I feel like I know you," Gohan said gazing at Trunks. Trunks didn't dare move. It was hard enough to see his master in the past but he had no idea how he could possibly recognize him.

"But from where?" Bulma asked.

"I don't know, but I have seen his face before," Gohan said scratching his head.

"Trust me, we have never met," Trunks said not turning around.

"Then why are you being so friendly with us," Gohan countered.

Trunks really hated all these questions. He decided it would be rude not to answer and a few minor questions before Goku arrived would not harm him in any way.

"I try to be nice to anybody I first meet," Trunks explained still not turning his head.

Yamcha decided to interject. "Hey mystery boy! Why don't you try to relax a little! If Goku is really coming in an hour, then you have nothing to worry about! How do you even know Goku anyways?" he asked.

"I'm trying. I know you guys have a lot of questions, but I would rather wait for Goku to arrive so I can tell you all at once," Trunks explained.

"That's fine, but just try to chill out, you are really tense," Yamcha observed.

He was trying to relax but it was incredibly difficult to do when all these people were asking questions of him. He took a deep breath and thought about how life would have been like with these warriors if they weren't all dead in the future.

Gohan however was sitting on the ground behind Trunks and Bulma and Krillin were to the right of him. Gohan looked over toward Bulma who seemed a bit bored. He looked over on his left and saw Vegeta with a scowl staring at the new boy. He then glanced back toward Bulma and realized her hair looked the same as Trunks. Gohan wondered what that meant because Bulma's hair wasn't exactly common.

"Hey! You two have the same color hair!" Gohan noticed.

Trunks began sweating buckets as he heard Gohan behind him making an observation. He knew it was about him and suspected it was also about his mother, Bulma. Trunks realized he was probably looking very nervous and quickly took a deep breath and tried to relax a second. He quickly realized he would have to say something else it would look suspiciously suspicious.

"What on earth are you talking about brat," Vegeta interjected before Trunks could say something.

Trunks was surprised to see his father addressing Gohan after his short visit with him so far. His mother said that Vegeta rarely addressed her friends.

"Bulma and him of course!" Gohan chirped.

Trunks thanked his father silently for a few seconds to buy him enough time to come up with a meager excuse.

"Umm, yeah-" Trunks was interrupted.

"Is he related to you somehow Bulma?" Gohan asked.

Trunks really wanted to kill himself on the spot. A powerful blast might do the trick however he had to complete his mission somehow.

"I don't think so? Maybe some distant cousin?" Bulma proposed.

"I don't think so, he is wearing that jacket that you said earlier," Gohan explained.

This was true. Not only did he have the same hair as Bulma, but also he was wearing a Capsule Corp jacket that would only be worn by the top scientists. Even Bulma hadn't seen that specific jacket before.

Trunks looked scared. He had to get a handle of this situation immediately before there was no turning back. He cursed his master underneath his breath. " _Damn you Gohan! Of course you of all people would!"_

Unfortunately for Trunks, as quiet as he spoke, a certain Namekian heard him under his breath.

"What was that?" Piccolo interrupted Trunks train of thought.

"Huh?" Trunks was confused.

"So you do know Gohan," Piccolo mentioned.

 _How on earth could he have possibly known that I know Gohan,_ Trunks thought as his eyes bulged out in complete utter shock. Trunks slowly turned his head toward Piccolo sweating down his neck.

"You said, ' _Damn you Gohan. Of course you of all people would'_ just now," Piccolo explained.

 _How on earth could he possibly have heard me?_ Trunks asked in his thoughts.

"I can hear almost everything," Piccolo explained with a smirk.

 _Can he read minds too?_ Trunks thought, as he didn't know what to say. He looked around and saw everybody staring at him waiting for an explanation. So far, he had not mentioned anybody's names except Goku, so this was quite the development.

"Umm," was all Trunks could muster out. He didn't know what to say.

"You are scared, I can tell," Vegeta interjected with a smirk. The others were surprised to see Vegeta speak about the matter.

Trunks was going to have to grill his mother for her not warning him about the possibility of meeting her friends.

"I'm not scared," Trunks said with a hint of pride.

Gohan stared at Vegeta and then back at Trunks. Vegeta had a smirk on his face while Trunks continued to look nervous.

"You kinda look like Vegeta too, well besides the hair of course," Gohan observed.

Trunks began sweating buckets again while Vegeta's smirk quickly turned to a scowl.

"What are you talking about brat?" Vegeta challenged.

"You guys both have the same face," Gohan chirped.

Now Trunks had to say something. This was his last ditch effort to maintain control of the situation.

"What are you talking about? Why are you even saying that? I don't look anything like Vegeta," Trunks defended but the way he looked compared to Vegeta was not on his side.

"Yeah you do! If it wasn't for the hair, you'd look exactly like him," Yamcha explained.

"If Bulma and Vegeta had a kid, you'd look just like him," Gohan remarked casually and chuckled.

Trunks was flabbergasted and cursed his old master in his mind this time. Why was this happening to him?

Bulma laughed so hard at the thought. Everybody looked surprised to see Bulma finding that comment Gohan had made hilarious.

"The Prince of all Saiyans reducing himself down to me?" Bulma mocked Vegeta as she continued to laugh.

"Woman, it would be wise of you to not mock me," Vegeta warned.

Bulma continued to laugh while Trunks had no idea what to do. What if Vegeta charged his mother? What if what Gohan just said ruined any chance he would exist?

Bulma stopped laughing at the absurd idea that Gohan presented. "Ah, that was funny Gohan."

"You are right woman, I would never reduce myself down someone like you," Vegeta said with a smirk.

"Hey! Don't insult my girlfriend," Yamcha defended.

"Or what!" Vegeta taunted.

"It would make sense since that you and Bulma had a baby since he is a super Saiyan," Gohan explained. "Did you guys have a baby like 15 years ago?" Gohan chirped.

"Of course not brat!" Vegeta immediately yelled.

Trunks was a little thankful that the situation had slowed a little. There was no way that they were going to link him to Vegeta and Bulma thankfully due to the age and time difference. Reality was on his side for once. Nobody knew about time travel in this time.

"You do have a similar ki to Vegeta and Bulma which makes me wonder," Piccolo explained. Trunks gulped.

"I am not Vegeta's and Bulma's son if that's what you are wondering. That's not possible," Trunks explained trying to relieve the situation.

"But you know how to fight, which would come from Vegeta and you have something to do with Capsule Corporation," Gohan explained

" _Just for once can you be on my side Gohan. Please my old friend,"_ Trunks said under his breath as he was basically begging. Unfortunately for him, he forgot Piccolo could hear him. His face looked like he had seen a ghost.

"So are you from the future or something because I am pretty sure you don't know Gohan," Piccolo explained.

"Yeah! Then Vegeta and Bulma could be your parents!" Gohan said excitedly.

"Vegeta and Bulma?" Krillin mentioned? "That's wild!"

"Vegeta's going to have a baby?" Gohan chirped.

"Stop it all!" Trunks yelled.

"Is there any truth to any of this absurdity boy?" Vegeta asked sternly. Although these ideas were preposterous, the current situation required some sort of explanation.

"Of course not Vegeta," Trunks mentioned as he tried to calm his nerves.

"I don't think so. All evidence is pointing the other way," Piccolo said.

"Is time travel even a thing?" Tien asked.

"No it's not," Trunks explained but his mother had other ideas.

"Hold on a sec. Time travel is certainly possible but the technology isn't quite here yet," Bulma explained. "But. But, it could be in the future," Bulma went on to add. Her mouth was left open in confusion.

Trunks was starting to realize that this situation was hopeless. He had one last opportunity to make it right and he was going to take it. He really hoped it wouldn't jeopardize his existence but he had to do something.

"Do you really think Vegeta and Bulma would ever have a kid? Come on now, even I know that's the last thing on that would ever happen on earth," Trunks explained.

"Well, the two kind of live together," Krillin mentioned.

"You got that right! I'd never let that monster near my girlfriend," Yamcha said angrily.

"Oh and what would you do about it? Try and defeat me? You are nothing compared to me," Vegeta said darkly.

"Don't try me Vegeta," Yamcha said approaching Vegeta.

"If you would like to pathetically attempt to fight me to look good in front of your bitch, I'm not stopping you," Vegeta said mockingly with his arms crossed.

Bulma immediately jumped in between them putting her hands on both Vegeta and Yamcha's chest ignoring Vegeta's unnecessary comment.

"Stop it you guys. There's no way Vegeta and I are getting together anytime soon," Bulma explained.

"Any time soon?" Yamcha raged. Bulma bit her lip realizing what she had said. She didn't know why she said 'not anytime soon.'

"Guys stop!" Trunks interjected.

Yamcha was already upset because Bulma allowed him to live at Capsule Corporation. There was not much Yamcha could do to stop that except ask Bulma to kick him out. Even then, that might not work so well.

Gohan stepped toward Trunks while pointing toward him. Trunks gave him a questionable yet anxious look. "I think that you are the son of Vegeta and Bulma and that you came from the future!" Gohan said with a smile.

"WHAT!" Trunks cried out.

"That does kind of explain your powers and your sudden appearance," Piccolo interjected. "I think we would have sensed you by now if have lived here for any length of time and you clearly have," Piccolo continued as he eyed his clothing.

Trunks could not believe how cunning his young master was. Although Gohan was just a kid, he somehow managed to guess where he came from. A slight admiration was noted by Trunks, however, he had way more pressing issues to deal with. What about Bulma and Vegeta? Was he supposed to deny what Gohan just said? He had to.

"That's just not possible. I- I will explain everything as soon as Goku lands," Trunks stuttered.

"Tell us now boy!" Vegeta demanded.

"I'm sorry, I cant," Trunks said softly.

Vegeta needed to prove this absurd theory Gohan presented. The only way to do this was to do something nobody would expect.

"Who would have thought the brat had it in him," Vegeta smirked as he pointed toward Gohan. "I truly thought I would have a son that would be open and honest to his father," he said turning back toward Trunks.

Although Vegeta's comments alleviated the constant stares toward Trunks, of course, his father did not help him at all as Trunks' eyes bulged out of his sockets, in total shock at what Vegeta had just said. For a split second, he felt something he had never had before, the connection between father and son, but that quickly dissipated, as he had to attempt to say something.

Trunks wanted to be honest to his father because he had just acknowledged him as a son, however, he also saw past this. He had heard enough stories about his father that he would likely never be so quick to acknowledge him as his son so there must be some ulterior motive.

There was some truth in Trunks' thought process but Vegeta stood there shocked. It was rare Vegeta showed shock because his pride would cover it. Vegeta could not believe what he was witnessing. The boy's facial expressions and body movements proved that Gohan's theory was indeed correct. Maybe it wasn't all true, but most of the theory stood true. Vegeta was now wondering how this was possible. He could not believe he had a son.

"So you really are my son from the future," Vegeta concluded.

Trunks had no idea what to do. It was too late and somehow within a short period, these people figured him out, no thanks to Gohan of course. Trunks felt defeated and sighed. He realized there was nothing he could do in this situation.

"Fine, you win," Trunks said to nobody in particular.

Everybody waited because there was a pause. Yamcha's blood was boiling. He just was unable to process and believe that Bulma and Vegeta had a son in the future. Vegeta stood still, arms crossed, waiting for some sort of explanation. Piccolo also was shocked. Tien and Chiaotzu were also waiting for an explanation.

Bulma was also shocked. She still didn't entirely believe the theory that Gohan presented; yet somehow, she was starting to realize that there might be some truth to it. Bulma faced the facts. Vegeta was living with her. She found him slightly attractive not only physically but also the mysterious nature of Vegeta. She also knew her boyfriend since she was a teenager just wasn't the same. With these facts, she still couldn't believe this development. She wanted to take this opportunity to fight harder with her boyfriend to prevent any possible relationship with Vegeta but at the same time, there was a tug the other way and she just couldn't explain it.

"Well, aren't you going to say anything boy?" Vegeta asked in a calmer voice than many thought was possible considering the tense situation.

Trunks sighed. "Fine, I will."

"Well?" Vegeta demanded.

"I can't believe you are going to be a daddy!" Gohan chirped.

Vegeta cringed at the thought. Not that he didn't want an heir to assume Prince of all Saiyans, but with a human?

"My name is Trunks Brief and yes, I was born in the future by yes, Vegeta and Bulma. Of course Gohan would be the one to figure that out somehow because the Gohan in the future was my master and best friend." Trunks explained.

"How on earth did you travel to this time?" Bulma asked still in disbelief.

"You built it," Trunks explained.

Everybody looked up and saw a space pod headed towards Earth at incredible speed. The pod crashed close to where everyone was standing. The pod created a huge crater and a loud boom.

"Well, Goku's back," Trunks said nervously as he walked toward the edge of the crater. The others followed him.

From the crater where the pod was still intact, Goku appeared from the space pod in good shape.

"Hey guys! How on earth did you know I was going to be here?" Goku asked his friends.

"This guy told us!" Gohan explained. "He knows all about you daddy!"

"That's weird! We have never even met," Goku explained. "So who defeated Frieza?"

"He did! He turned into a super Saiyan!" Gohan chirped.

"Wow, can you believe it? A super Saiyan at his age? Unbelievable!" Goku said.

"Yeah, about that," Trunks interjected. "Can I have a word with you… Alone?"

"Sure," Goku said as Trunks flew off across the crater and Goku followed him leaving everybody else waiting.

"I can't believe he won't explain what's up!" Tien mentioned.

"I don't even want to hear it," Yamcha said sadly. "Bulma?" he added.

"Yeah?" Bulma asked.

"No matter what that boy says and no matter how true it might be, we are going to fight for our relationship, right?" Yamcha asked.

Bulma bit her lip. "Yeah we have to," Bulma said but it didn't sound sincere. Yamcha sighed and he could tell it wasn't sincere.

Vegeta was trying to come to terms with this entire situation. He didn't know what to think. First, he wanted to assert his dominance and regain his pride by telling the woman he has gotten to know on his time on earth, but at the same time, he was amazed to see his son achieve the legendary status of the super Saiyan.

"I don't care what that boy says woman," Vegeta said looking at Bulma. "I would never stoop down to your level."

Although Bulma was used to such verbal abuse, it just wasn't quite the same. Vegeta didn't say it with such disdain like he normally did. His words didn't sting quite like they usually do. His words just now were not as fiery as they should be. Bulma was wondering what was going through Vegeta's mind.

Several minutes went by and they could see Goku and Trunks off in the distance discussing what seemed to be important matters. The two were wrapping up and Goku flew back toward the group while Trunks flew off in the other direction.

In a split second, Vegeta powered up and took off following Trunks. Goku paused in mid air wondering if he should go follow his nemesis. He knew Vegeta was probably up to no good.

"Goku!" Piccolo yelled. "Let him go. Come down here."

Goku nervously accepted and landed near his friends.

"Vegeta won't do anything. He is just trying to figure some things out," Piccolo explained. "And even if Vegeta does something, Trunks has far more powerful than him."

"Yeah, I guess," Goku agreed.

"So what did he tell you?" Bulma asked.

"Well, umm, I don't know if I should say right now," Goku mentioned.

"Oh come on Goku! You can tell us!" Bulma pleaded.

"I'll tell you when the time is right," Goku explained.

"That's fine, if you won tell, I will," Piccolo said.

Meanwhile, Vegeta was following behind still in shock at what he had just witnessed. He did not know time travel was possible and he never thought that he would stay on this planet and mate with a woman. Although there was so much evidence supporting this boy, part of him wasn't able to comprehend and believe it.

He eyed the boy as he landed behind some large boulders. He decided to stay floating above him to see what he was doing. With his arms crossed, he took careful note at his actions. He took out what Vegeta had learned were dynocapsules and he threw it on the ground. A large vehicle of some sort appeared. There was a pause as the boy stared at the ground.

He watched the boy fall to his knees. Vegeta could tell he was displaying his emotions as he slammed his fists on the ground. He then let out his energy and screamed transforming into the legendary super Saiyan. Vegeta floated above staring at the boy in awe as Trunks released his emotions.

Vegeta was shocked to feel such enormous power coming from a mere teenager. Vegeta could feel his strength and was impressed although he would never admit it.

"No!" Trunks yelled punching a large hole in large boulder. The boulder cracked due to the pressure.

"How can I be so stupid?" Trunks asked himself in tears. "This is just great. I am going to cease to exist. I totally just sealed my fate."

Vegeta saw Trunks take deep breaths and after a minute, he powered down back to his normal self. He rubbed his eyes drying his tears.

"It's worth it," Trunks reminded himself out loud.

Another tear shed from his eye.

"So be it. I will cease to exist but I will save the future but there's no way my dad and mom will get together now," Trunks said to himself as he continued to dry his tears.

"I will save Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and all the others from certain death," Trunks told himself. He paused. "And my father."

Vegeta could clearly tell that the boy was flustered and trying to convince him that this was all worth it. How could such an incredible warrior come from the training of an inferior master, Gohan? Vegeta could not comprehend his strength. The timeline he must have come from created this strength. Somehow he knew something horrible happened in his time if he could become so powerful.

Trunks picked up his capsule box he carried his capsules in from the ground. He had dropped it in his anger. He sighed and took note of the quaint background.

"It's so nice here," Trunks said to himself staring at the mountains in the distance. This was a world that has not been touched by the androids. He smiled at the beauty. There has not been one place on earth that hasn't been found by the Androids in his time. The androids have gotten bored of just killing humans and have destroyed buildings, nature, and anything else they could find amusing in his bleak time.

"Goodbye past world," Trunks said to himself as he opened his time machine. Before he climbed up the ladder, he turned around to get one last look at this untouched earth.

He saw the beautiful blue sky but he saw something peculiar. He looked up and saw someone in the sky watching him. Blinded by the sunlight, he could not see who it was but then the figure landed.

"Fa-Father?" Trunks stuttered as Vegeta landed right next to him ever so eloquently.

Vegeta stared into his son's eyes as they told a story. They were still watery from his emotions.

"Father, h- how long w- were you watching," Trunks stammered. He was petrified. What if his father heard him yelling?

"Long enough," Vegeta said plainly staring into Trunks' eyes.

"I'm so- sorry," Trunks stuttered.

Vegeta continued staring into his son's eyes almost getting lost in his soul. He could see it now. His son had been through so much, possibly more than he ever did. He could see the Saiyan side of him just by looking in his eyes. He could feel his internal struggle. He almost felt like he could connect to it on some level.

This was when Vegeta made a decision that totally shocked Trunks.

"I'll make sure you will be born in this time."

 **A/N** : Eventually, I want to make a Bulma Vegeta romance, but that's sometime in the future. So in an essence, this one-shot was a practice. Vegeta is tough to write for a nooblet. I know, storyline totally not going to happen, but it was fun to write. I will update my other fanfic this week/weekend FYI.


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